Paradise
by whatamItyping
Summary: A Nenene-centric one shot set before she met Toki. What exactly is her motivation as a Code: Breaker and what of her odd comrade's goal too?


**Disclaimer: The characters and world of Code: Breaker belongs to Akimine Kamijyo, not me.**

**Paradise**

Another day ending, another mission completed. It all seemed routine now; passing judgment, eliminating witnesses, being congratulated on a job well done were just normal parts of her life. So ingrained so natural that by now the look of fear on her victim's faces no longer phased her in the slightest; the sight of blood had lost its power. The prime minister said this just made her more efficient. Nenene wasn't so sure. Certainly she had gained more skill, but her drive was severely lacking. The fear of failure and of death that she experienced in her first couple missions that pushed her, begged her to succeed had all but faded. Now the girl just wondered what she was fighting for. Justice? True, the nobleness of that goal remained undoubted, but was it really enough to keep her going?

Letting a sigh escape her lips, Nene stared out at the sun setting before her. If the sun were really alive like she had read in many old legends, did it face the same dilemma she did? It had to find the motivation to rise and set, day after day, from somewhere. Suddenly she was broken from her thoughtful mood by a voice.

"It is a breathtaking sight is it not?" She didn't bother changing her comfortable leaning position on the rail in front of her to see who it was. It was obvious. Instead she slid her gaze to the direction of the new comer. Since when had he gotten here? Heike's presence wasn't surprising, however. He always did have a thing for various forms of lights. Sunsets were no different. She figured that had something to do with his power, but it was still pretty ridiculous. After all, she wasn't obsessed with magnets now was she?

"That's not what I was sighing about, jeez Heike." She rolled her eyes. "I mean yeah it's pretty but you're the only one here who writes poetry about it." In truth, that last statement could've been false. She didn't know if he wrote poetry about it, but all the same the point still stood somehow. Her stubbornness refused anything less. He only chuckled. Glancing over, she saw that he was just standing there in his usual stance and smile. Hmph, at least he wasn't scolding her from being on the roof like she knew others would. Her elder coworker never seemed to, which ended up being one of his redeeming qualities. It was part of the reason she tolerated him and his oddness anyway.

Silence settled between the two, as they continued to watch the sun descend, painting the evening sky with vibrant hues and colors. Nenene likewise fell back into her previous line of thought. Eventually she found her wonderings out in the air, starting a conversation, "Hey Heike."

"Yes Fujiwara-san?"

"Most Code: Breakers have an outside goal right? You know what they use those points for or whatever." He nodded, smile still there, but now with an inquisitive trait to it. Oh no, he wasn't going to be the one asking question here. She'd cut him off and turn the tables. "So what's yours?" It was the closest she had ever seen his face to being shocked, and the small girl reveled in it despite the composure he retained. His answer didn't come right away. She didn't care; half of her thought he wouldn't answer, but she'd be stone cold and gone before she wouldn't give him a hard time about it anyway. She always did with his 'mysterious act'. Surprisingly he did answer after closing his eyes, the grin he always kept looking a little bit more natural than normal.

"I fight for my 'EDEN'," he replied vaguely, as enigmatic as ever.

"What is that supposed to mean?" He didn't own EDEN. The man talked about like it was his or something, and as if it was a different one from the one they were serving now. His smirk just grew deeper in an infuriating way. That Heike, he knew she wouldn't understand that twisted up answer. Fine, if he wasn't going to be straightforward about it she'd just guess around until he fessed up. Maybe he didn't mean 'EDEN' in the way she first thought he had? Eden was more than just a name after all, it also meant…

"So you're fighting for your... paradise?" She offered, glancing back over at the other figure; who remained silent but opened his eyes.

".. I suppose you could say that, yes." Though his smiling mask had not slipped at all, the blonde could've sworn she saw traces of somberness on his features. Quizzically she stared at him for a few more moments before returning to the setting sun. Wasn't paradise a pleasant thing to think about? With her vast collection of books on the world back home, she had read about plenty of paradises around the world. For a time, she even held the hopes of visiting one of them or just travelling the world. This was before she had become a Code: Breaker obviously. That dream died long ago with her training and the realization of the expectation placed on her shoulders. She doubted she'd ever leave the country let alone visit exotic places.

Paradise didn't always mean exotic, however. Paradise she wagered was different for everybody. Paradise could mean something as simple as home or something as extravagant and unreachable as the heavens themselves. Paradise was perfection, where one didn't worry about anything, had all they required, and found happiness everywhere. No, she wouldn't blame her fellow Code: Breaker for wanting that, no matter how much a weirdo he kept proving himself to be. Without realizing it, she started longing for it too, or perhaps this was what she had desired all along, Paradise, something to fight for.

"… Hey Heike?"

"Yes?"

"You wouldn't mind if I … fought for my own paradise too, right?" Oh great, he started chuckling at her. Instantly she regretted saying anything, her face curling up into a pout, a red flush of embarrassment residing on her cheeks.

"Not at all, Fujiwara-san," Heike responded reassuringly, and for a moment she thought she was a genuine honest to goodness grin on his face. He quickly subverted this by returning to his weirdo self, by giving her the cheesiest thumbs, his mouth returning to that foolish looking smile. "Go for it!" She swore she almost heard a star after those words. Growling under her breath, she glared up at the taller breaker. Oh, that Masaomi. Fine then, he could be that way.

"Good. Because I am and there's nothing you or anybody can do to stop me," she decided forcefully, and then she jumped on something else, "And now since we're comrades fighting for two causes that are the same, I suppose we have to be friends. So I'm calling you Masaomi and you can call me Nenene. Got it?" For the second time that day she caught a glimpse of him being almost surprised. Heh, who was shocking whom now? He could chortle all he wanted, she had won this battle.

"... Very well then," Masaomi consented, nodding at her, "Nenene it is." Without another word they both returned to the sunset, content in their aspirations for the future.


End file.
